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Magellan dismisses adviser By George Archibald THE WASHINGTON TIMES March 17, 2005 A top multibillion-dollar managed-care health company has dismissed from its national professional advisory council a leading mental health academic who advocates therapy for homosexuals who wish to change their sexual orientation. Magellan Health Services Inc. expelled Warren Throckmorton, psychology professor and counseling director at Grove City College in northwestern Pennsylvania, as "a business decision." The company said Mr. Throckmorton's positions on homosexuality were "potentially controversial" and not "in the best interests" of the company's corporate clients and employees, company spokesman Erin S. Somers told The Washington Times. "We...

The leadership of the Presbyterian Church recently decided to encourage its governing body to promote divestment from companies that do business with Israel. Shortly thereafter, the Anglican church, the Lutheran church and the World Council of Churches (WCC, with 347 member denominations world-wide) followed suit with the explanation that divestment "(is) a new way to work for peace, by looking at ways to not participate economically in illegal activities related to the Israeli occupation." (1) These churches are among those often referred to as "mainline" churches. The most problematic issue of this new “mainline” posture is that it is clearly...

The Presbyterian Church USA may have voted to begin a process of divestment from firms dealing with Israel, but there are many Presbyterians who are not happy about the move, says Rev. William Harter, minister of the Presbyterian Church of Falling Spring in Chambersberg, Pennsylvania. Harter, co-convener of Presbyterians Concerned for Jewish and Christian Relations, was in Israel last week as the leader of a group of Presbyterian ministers and lay people who had come under the auspices of the American-Israel Friendship League. His group, which is active in working toward positive relationships with Jews, is currently circulating a petition...

The decision of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to take steps that could lead to divestment of the church's holdings in companies doing business in Israel caused consternation among Jewish organizations and their leaders, here and abroad. The fact that the Presbyterian approach to divestment is "selective" (only companies whose products or services play major roles in implementing military and political policies that the church disapproves will be targeted) and "phased" (activist investor tactics will be used first and sale of assets will be proposed to the assembly only if other measures are unproductive) did not seem...

The rationale asks a rhetorical question: "Is there anything that distinguishes the firebombing of Germany and the atom bombing of Japan toward the end of World War II from the officially sanctioned terror of the Israeli Defense Force or the Palestinian responses to Israeli actions or from the terrorist acts perpetrated by al Qaeda?" (p. 9). Clearly the rationale implies that there is no moral difference. But many Christians would insist that there is in fact a qualitative difference between these acts. For example, whereas the atom bomb attacks on Japan were aimed at saving both Japanese and American lives...

Dennis Prager's wise words apply to this week's world Council of Churches decision to divest from Israel: I have argued in this column that the greatest sin is committing evil in God's name. As bad as the evil committed by secularists, such as communists and Nazis, has ever been, the most grievous evil is that which is committed in the name of God. For not only do religious evils harm their victims, they also do lasting damage to God-based morality, which those of us who believe in God and religion consider the only viable antidote to evil. That is why...

This week , the World Council of Churches called on aall churches to follow the example of the Presbyterian Church and divest form Israel. I am posting this article to reiterate the reasons why this is anti-Semitic: In contrast to the action taken by the Presbyterian Church this month, the Roman Catholic Church has recognized that one-sided criticism of Israel can at times be so grotesque that there is no name to describe it other than anti-Semitism. And in a document ironically signed the same week as the Presbyterian General Assembly, the Catholic Church equated anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. A more...

The Presbytery of Milwaukee voted 104-20 on Feb. 22 to approve Elisabeth "Eily" Marlow, a lesbian activist, for ordination as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). *** Marlow was formerly employed by That All May Freely Serve, an organization that seeks the repeal of the denomination's constitutional requirements that prohibit same-sex marriages and the ordination of self-acknowledged, practicing homosexuals. *** Marlow has been employed as director of outreach of the Minnesota Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, an organization that promotes unrestricted abortions. She has also held a number of staff jobs in the denomination, including the PCUSA's United Nations...

The Presbyterian Church, USA, has joined End the Occupation, a coalition that includes several organizations that endorse terrorism. Within the last twelve months, PCUSA delegations have twice met with Hezbollah, a listed terrorist organization. Although leaders of the PCUSA have issued formal statements repudiating terrorism, they have sometimes admitted to having difficult recognizing it. In his 2004 Christmas message, PCUSA Moderator Rev. Rick Ufford-Chase wrote: "It's increasingly difficult to distinguish between… the victims of terrorist attacks or well-executed military campaigns… the United States or Osama Bin Laden...." By joining End the Occupation, the Presbyterian Church places itself in close alliance...

Mission Presbytery in Texas has dismissed a Confessing Church congregation and its pastor to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, but the property issue is still up in the air. The presbytery voted 152-76 in October against a motion to allow the congregation – First Presbyterian Church in Laredo – to leave with its property and assets. However, the presbytery decided to allow the congregation to continue using the property until after an appraisal is made of the land and building. The presbytery's trustees were instructed to make a recommendation for the disposition of the property "in such a way as to...

The PCUSA has responded to the widespread criticism of the General Assembly's divestment vote by posting a section on its website called Israel and Jewish Relations. The page is a highly misleading mix of half truths and articles apparently selected to give misimpressions about both the nature of the dispute and the nature and extent of criticism that the church has received. The general effect of the material posted—and not posted—on the PCUSA web page is to minimize the scale of the public relations disaster that this has been for the PCUSA. A Presbyterian relying on this official PCUSA page...

LOUISVILLE — Despite widespread media attention, most Presbyterian laity are not aware of the 216th General Assembly’s decision to “begin a process of phased, selective divestment” of companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The findings by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Research Services office, based on a November 2004 survey of 3,000 ministers, elders, members and specialized clergy known as the Presbyterian Panel were released on the eve of a national conference here entitled “Steps Towards Peace in Israel and Palestine.” Though their members may not know about the Assembly’s action (61 percent of members...

Members of the Presbyterian Church national staff have posted an anti-Semitic article on their web site and have linked their page to organizations that applaud suicide bombing. Elizabeth and Marthame Sanders served until recently as Presbyterian missionaries in a Christian village in the West Bank. In August, 2004, they joined the head office staff of the Presbyterian Church USA in the prestigious position of missionaries-in-residence. The Sanders have a flagrantly anti-Semitic article posted on their web page. While Elizabeth and Marthame Sanders did not write the article, posting it makes it appear that they endorse the views expressed. Here is...

The 542 GA Commissioners at the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Whereas, on July 1, 2004 Commissioners at the 216th General Assembly voted (431-62) to direct the Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI) initiate a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel, in accordance to General Assembly policy on social investing, and to make appropriate recommendations to the General Assembly Council for action; And, whereas many in the worldwide Judeo-Christian community of faith have been deeply offended and have denounced this action. (The denouncements can be read at http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?presby2 or www.presbyweb.com or www.pcusaelders.org...

Israel divestment This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42709 Friday, February 4, 2005 Presbyterians to justify Israel divestmentDenomination sets meeting to answer questions about financial action Posted: February 4, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com In an attempt to justify what some have called an anti-Semitic move, the Presbyterian Church USA will hold a three-day conference to explain to denomination leaders why action was taken to divest from companies doing business with Israel. As WorldNetDaily reported, the denomination's General Assembly voted 431-62 in July to divest from Israel. The PCUSA is...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A New York man has been arrested for threatening to burn down Presbyterian churches because of policies he believed were anti-Semitic, the church said on Friday. No attacks occurred after the threat was received last November but churches across the country were placed on alert. Jeffrey Winters, 25, of the New York borough of Queens was arrested and charged with interstate communication of a threat to injure another person, the 2.8 million-member Presbyterian Church USA said from its Kentucky headquarters. It said that the FBI had informed the church of the arrest on Thursday. Last July the...

And on another Middle Eastern note...Presbyterians! Speaking of people who should stop messing with the Middle East, the Presbyterian Church (USA) is having a confab in Louisville next month designed to "explain" the denomination's approach to Israel divestment: Requests by synod and presbytery officials for more information about the General Assembly's recent actions on Israel and Palestine have led to plans for a three-day meeting in February. About 200 participants--representing every synod and presbytery--are expected to attend. "Steps Toward Peace in Israel and Palestine," scheduled to take place Feb. 10-12 in Louisville, is being held "so that they (synods and...

Session with terrorist stirs outrage By Tad Whitaker, IJ reporter Local religious leaders are expressing outrage over a meeting that occurred last summer between members of the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo and a commander of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The meeting occurred June 1, when the seminary group was touring the Middle East as part of a course, "Christianity in Context: Palestine/Israel," which focused on the Middle East, its cultures, issues, people and religions. Seminary officials say the meeting was inadvertent. "It could well be an accident, but I find it hard to believe," said the Rev....

San Francisco Theological Seminary has issued a statement saying the seminary group that met with Hezbollah on June 1, 2004, did so without knowing that such a meeting would occur and that the students and leaders felt uncomfortable in the presence of a Hezbollah representative and reporters from Mideast media. The statement was unsigned, but Phil Butin, president of the seminary, told The Layman Online that he wrote most of it after interviewing a number of students to find out what happened. Butin also said he talked with Charles Marks, the seminary's chaplain and leader, along with his wife Amal...

Saturday, January 15, 2005 Massachusetts church's 'pro-terrorism' speakers protestedDemonstrators will show up Sunday morning during services Posted: January 15, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com A group of Christians and Jews plans to hold a demonstration tomorrow at a Presbyterian church hosting a program presented by the International Solidarity Movement, which supports "armed struggle" and has advocated the destruction of Israel. The Christian Jewish Anti-Terror Alliance said the protest at the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church in Somerville, Mass., will take place as the program begins at 11:45 a.m. The church is hosting a program and brunch entitled "A Report Back from...